"Test everything; retain what is good.” (1 Thes 5:21) A laywoman expresses concerns about issues in the Roman Catholic Church to foster positive dialogue by posing and exploring questions.
Please remember that Canon Law says it is not only a right but a duty to question the church. Also, Canon Law provides an over-riding power to the sensus fidelium (sense of the faithful). By this, Canon Law says that if the sensus fidelium (collective of the faithful) reject a law, it is not valid.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Christ the victim?

October 2nd marks this blog’s second anniversary.When I began it, I thought that if 50 people
other than me read it in the first year, I’d keep writing.The first year actually had about 8,000
visitors from dozens of countries.Heading into the 2nd anniversary, it’s had about 20,000
visits from over 70 countries.Thanks
for the interest!I will continue
writing as long as I feel called.

I began the blog because I was bullied out of teaching faith
formation at my local parish though I still felt called to teach.My kids reminded me that in today’s world,
there are more ways to teach the faith than within the four walls of a
parish-owned building.They told me, “Write
a blog or something! Try teaching in snack-sized bites.”

Inspired by my kids’ ideas and not liking to feel
victimized, I expanded my horizons.Within
a few days I had written and published my first blog article.I’m still working on the “snack-sized” thing.Regardless, now instead of reaching a few
dozen people in my small Midwestern U.S. parish, I touch thousands of people
around the world.I thank my kids for
their advice and support.I also thank the
bullies who tried stifling the Spirit but instead just further enkindled and
spread it.

I think I easily could have wrapped myself in victimhood,
sported bitterness and blamed “the church” while wallowing in unhappiness.I could have stomped off in a huff from the
church, righteously licking my wounds.Instead I found freedom in broadening my horizons while remaining in my
faith community.More importantly I
experienced a great deal of spiritual growth and found a new way to serve
God.I learned to speak openly and
fearlessly about church bullying and other injustices.In general, I’ve just tried to cooperate with
the Spirit to bring about changes that it directs.That brings a lot more inner peace than victimhood.

Victimhood seems to be a popular topic these days.For example, the U.S. presidential candidate, Mitt
Romney, recently said he believed 47% of Americans enjoy victimhood.Along with several of his supporters, he
believes that many people, after being convinced by professional victim-helpers
of their victimhood, plain and simply like to be victims.

So what is victimhood and how does it tie to Christian
faith?

According to Dr. Ofer Zur, people who
live in a state of victimhood are people who believe they bounce through life
blown by forces beyond their control and subsequently attribute their behavior
to these external forces.People who
enjoy victimhood tend to feel low self-esteem, shame, guilt, helplessness,
hopelessness and an internal sense of “badness”. He observed that such people prefer retaining
the perceived “benefits” of their victimhood over the price of ending it.He mentioned these perceived benefits
include gaining people’s sympathy or pity, avoiding responsibility or
accountability, possessing a sense of righteousness, and sometimes even feeling
relief if their “badness” is punished.He also states that victims and abusers have a complementary
relationship, meaning they can’t exist without each other.

Similarly, Daryl Conner wrote a two
article series about victimhood as it pertains to organizational
change.He contrasted people who feel
victimized by organizational change to those who participate in influencing the
change.A summary of those contrasts are contained in
the following table but I encourage you to read his original articles:

Victims

Influencers

Think they are acted upon by external forces

Think they are one of the forces in situations

Think they are helpless due to circumstances

Think they can have an impact on the change

Often:

Deny
or avoid what they dislike

Reject
or attack what they think they can’t change

Protect
and fortify existing positions

Use
covert actions or won’t engage at all

Often

Openly
admit what they dislike

Determine
the accommodations needed for successful change

Expand
their horizons

Seek
ways to make progress

These articles caused me to think of the church, both
ordained and lay members.

The church is founded upon faith in Jesus Christ, whom the
apostles took to calling a victim.Jesus
told his followers to emulate him.So
the apostles direct the faithful to imitate the victimhood they declared for
Jesus.But, did Jesus think he was a
victim?And did he call his followers to
be victims too?

Scripture never indicates Jesus felt he was a victim.Indeed it clearly expresses that Jesus could have
refused to do God’s bidding but didn’t.That sounds like a personal choice and a willingness to accept
consequences.

Jesus openly admitted he didn’t like something (asking to
let the cup pass if it could), but he had a determination to be a part of the
necessary change for the world.He
expanded his horizons and encouraged his apostles to do likewise.He took action to make progress for
humanity.That seems to match what
Conner describes as an influencer rather than a victim of change.

So why do apostles like to portray Jesus as a victim?Why do they encourage people to imitate Jesus
in that victimhood?

Other than hopelessness, the psychological elements Zur
mentions that result from a victimhood mentality seem to be personality traits the
clergy encourage amongst the faithful: shame, guilt, low self-esteem,
helplessness and an internal sense of “badness”.It would seem that the clergy say, “Here is
Jesus, a victim.To imitate him, you
must imitate his death by becoming victims too.Be docile and accepting of the status quo.Do not challenge us.”Is this a case of abusers in search of
victims?

However, if one sees Jesus as influential in changing the
world rather than a victim of it, then it would seem the focus shifts to Jesus’
Resurrection.Imitating him shifts from
imitating his death to imitating his life, where he challenged religious
authorities and social norms, where he walked with the marginalized, where he
helped others move beyond their victimhood, and where he was influential in
changing the world.

Fifty years ago this October the Second Vatican Council
opened and that was one time in which church hierarchy members seemed to act
like influencers of change en masse rather than as victims.But as I reflect upon the apostles’ historic
and especially their recent en masse reactions to change, the list of victim
characteristics seems to better parallel their behaviors.Since the apostles feel they best emulate
Jesus, do they feel they are victims too?

What’s the risk to move beyond a victimhood mentality for
the clergy and laity?What is the price
for change and do you think it’s higher than the benefits of moving beyond
religious victimhood?Should we embrace victimhood?What is the impact
of organized religions on a victimhood mentality in society?

7 comments:

Louise - I frequently read and learn from your posts, but have never felt as moved to post a comment as I do today. I think this post clearly identifies the reason I have never felt at home within most Christian churches. I refuse to embrace victimhood and since most organised Western religions (and many Eastern religions) seem to promote victimhood, I have never felt "at home" within those confines.

With one parent brought up Catholic (though her father was Lutheran), and one raised in the Congregational Christian church,and my own early education in the Unitarian Church, I had exposure to many faiths through my childhood and teens, and then expanded on that through membership in 3 different churches in my 20s. What can I say - I really enjoyed singing in church choirs. The music was uplifting - the general spirit of the sermons was not.

Thank-you for helping me better identify why I was never truly engaged by any church. And I immediately was able to identify and expand on the Organisational Change theory - which made your article even more interesting!!

I hope in fellow followers of this blog, you find a community with which you feel at home. It has no walls or pews but it seems to be the forming of a small international community. Thanks for being our Kiwi in the group!

Bob, thanks. Yes, I agree that ARCC is all about moving beyond victimhood. I think many in it have suffered at the hands of clerical bullying but are trying to be positive forces of change rather than passive recipients of others' actions. Keep spreading the joy and love!

I think Jesus carries the symbolism of victim through the links that are made to the Old Testament but clearly he has the free will to allow the story, as awful as it is to take place. Everything he does influences others; it is only the arrogance of others that see his actions as weaknesses.

For ourselves; we may act with humility but not as victims - the Gospel this week warns us against believeing that we are better than everyone else but we are good enough to stand for what we believe in. Ever since I discovered that the word 'obedience' means to listen - I have felt that it was appropriate to listen - I am too old to simply do what I am told. I don't remember Jesus ever doing that.

Thanks for the thoughts. Sometimes I wonder if people want Jesus to be seen as victim so that they can "protect" him. But, I don't think he needs or wants our protection. I'm not sure if wanting to protect Jesus is full blown arrogance or just a sign of insecurity - trying to affirm one's self by being the protector of an important force.

I've never understood those who seek misery - I think people call it self-mortification. Maybe I'm just lucky but life has thrown me enough interesting and challenging situations that I don't need to manufacture them :-)

About Me

I am a single mother of three who from the eyes of the Roman Catholic hierarchy is in full communion with the Church. But I question if any woman is capable of being in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church due to clericalism, sexism, and the marginalization, and emotional abuse of women.
I hold a master degree in theology from Loyola (Master of Pastoral Studies, M.P.S.). I am not employed by the Catholic Church but rather am an executive consultant.
Some ask if I want to be a priest. We are baptized priest, prophet and king. I feel I am more called to exercise my prophetic voice than a priestly one.
(Artwork supplied courtesy of one of my daughters.)